DARKER

With the gliding grace of a Mountain Eagle, the Assassin stalks the eternal night, lean and hungry for the kill. It slices the air with its sleek lines before homing on its prey. The Delphi craft was unaware of its presence to the very end.

Darker is the product of 4 years work to produce the ultimate gameplay experience. A stunning 3D landscape, an awesome flight model and the most intuitive interface seen on any simulator, makes Darker totally absorbing from start to finish.

Featuring a synapse-searing Nightmare Section, Darker is a must for both sim and shoot-em-up fiends alike.

~from the back of the box

Back in 1995, Darker was a nice looking 3D space sim for its time. The night setting gave the developers licence to stylise the simple polygons in a way few were attempting. Bright, white bulbs dot across the skyline of a city in perpetual dusk. Considering this is the brainchild of two brothers - Jas and Lyndon Brooke - and it's even more awe-inspiring.

Playing it, however, is not quite as exceptional as it looks. Darker tries to do something different in the control of the ships that take a while to master and too long to figure out without a manual in hand (I've sadly yet to source one). Your craft has no thrust in the traditional sense. You can give off bursts of forward-momentum that will slowly dissipate until you crash land on the sandy plains. These thrusts are determined not by fuel or energy stored inside the your vessel, but by how close you are to those bright white bulbs scattered across the playfield. Stray too far from the light and you'll stall mid-flight.

Your weapons are also linked to these technological marvels too. You do not collect ammo or powerups to outgun your opponents, instead employing a tactically measured approach taking into account your surroundings as you sharpen your dogfighting skills. It's a mechanic I barely got to grips with in my short time playing the game, but I can imagine the more I get used to it the more fun it'll be.

While the game itself is just about solid, the overall presentation lets the whole thing down. The menus are basic and barebones with no customisable options or settings. The story is laid out in text next to some amateurish photos of what I imagine to be the staff playing pretend in the rec room. There are no cutscenes or CD audio to warrant the use of the disc it came on, making come off as something of a budget title. But then again, this was essentially made by two people.

With more polish to the presentation and more balancing to the difficulty, I'm sure we'd be looking at a hidden gem. As it is, it barely misses that accolade but it's unique enough for me to still recommend it to "both sim and shoot-em-up fiends alike".



To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Manual Included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 9.05 Mb.  Install Size: 11.3 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download


Darker is © Psygnosis
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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